Estendio has recently been named as one of ‘Glasgow’s coolest tech startups’ by DIGIT and we’re thrilled to be listed amongst some of Scotland’s most exciting tech companies.
We want to share all of our recent ventures and achievements with you in this blog (and a bit about why we also think that what we’re doing is pretty damn cool!)
EIE 2019
From mid-January until the end of April, Estendio had the absolute pleasure of taking part in EIE 2019 - Scotland’s premier technology investor showcase. From workshops on presentation skills to investor readiness sessions, our CEO Chris was equipped with all the tools to deliver a show-stopping spotlight pitch at the final event on 24th April - and that he did! Situated in Edinburgh’s stunning McEwan Hall, the team had an amazing time speaking with investors, engaging with the cohort and demonstrating our software Present Pal.
IMAGE: Chris Hughes pitching on stage at McEwan Hall for EIE 2019.
Although the event itself was an outstanding highlight, it’s important for those considering applying for EIE to understand the real benefits of the run-up to the showcase. The support and upskilling that the EIE programme provides has been invaluable for our company, allowing us to construct a firm ‘ask’ and flourishing our team’s confidence. What’s more is that we were surrounded by an exceptional group of talented entrepreneurs, and we can’t thank our friends at R3-IoT, Gigly and Amiqus enough for making the experience even more terrific.
IMAGE: Chris Hughes being interviewed at EIE 2019 in front of our Present Pal stall.
The event was followed by an exceptional dinner at the National Museum of Scotland and we want to extend a huge thank you to Johnston Carmichael for having us as one of their guests - we had a fantastic night! We would especially like to thank Kirsty Irvine, Shaun Millican and Andrew Holloway for their continued support, advice and friendship.
We were thrilled to take part in EIE alongside Scotland’s pioneering tech startups. The magnificent work of Danny Helston, Ronnie Johnston, Jane Kennedy and the rest of the team at Informatics Ventures is unmatched and we can’t wait for EIE 2020!
IMAGE: Project SEARCH logo
Project SEARCH
Since demonstrating Present Pal at an assistive tech conference in March, we have been working with Project SEARCH to assist young people with disabilities in their journey to securing full-time employment. Project SEARCH is a one year transition programme which provides employability training and education for individuals with disabilities, with over 300 locations worldwide. The programme provides excellent opportunities for young adults, and so we were delighted to be asked to play a part in this process!
We were invited along to the Edinburgh based classroom to gain an insight into Project SEARCH’s work and to meet the participants of the programme. We were greeted by a group of ambitious, kind and inquisitive young people and we were so impressed by the group’s eagerness.
The learning objectives of the class were based around working memory processes, whereby the students had to complete multiple activities to examine their memory skills. Students were tested on their memory skills and then had to complete practise interview questions using the ‘STAR technique’. Liam (Project SEARCH’s fantastic tutor) decided to give the student with the weakest memory a tablet with the Present Pal App open. She was instructed to use Present Pal to type out her answer, and then was asked to recall her answer after practising for a short while. On the other hand, the student who scored the best on the memory tests was also told to prepare a STAR answer (without the use of Present Pal).
IMAGE: Project SEARCH banner at Edinburgh’s classroom. Banner reads “Supporting people with disabilities who want to work full-time”.
We were stunned by the difference between the two students. The student using Present Pal was able to recall her answer clearly and confidently, allowing her to work on other techniques such as body language and audience engagement. However, the student who didn’t use Present Pal struggled to recall his prepared answer, which he found very frustrating and affected his overall performance.
It was fantastic for us to experience the real difference that Present Pal was able to provide, as we had never imagined that our presentation support software could serve as an interview preparation technique! We were delighted to discover another brilliant use of Present Pal and experience first-hand how our software is helping to support and train people’s working memory. Pretty cool - right?!
We are excited to see how our partnership with Project SEARCH unfolds and hopefully discover even more ways that we can help these brilliant young people to secure employment. Thanks for having us, guys!
Global Accessibility Awareness Day 2019
Our participation in the Microsoft AI for Accessibility programme has allowed us to meet incredible people and more importantly, has exposed us to many diverse and incredible stories. Chris was honoured to be invited down to the Microsoft Campus in Reading on the 16th May 2019 for Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) to share his story of why he created Present Pal and what we’re doing to support people with disabilities.
IMAGE: Chris Hughes presenting at Microsoft’s #GAAD with PowerPoint slides and closed captions displayed on a TV screen.
Joined by speakers from AbilityNet, John Lewis, RNIB and many more pioneering organisations, Chris had an extraordinary day learning from and meeting accessibility evangelists. Chris was amazed by all of the incredible accessibility orientated work that was shared across the day, including an uplifting story from Jo-Ann Moran as she shared her experience of Usher Syndrome. A massive thank you to Steven Woodgate for organising such a fantastic day.
Taking part in inclusive design events really motivate us to ensure that Present Pal can support the needs of everyone, and we can’t wait to share the amazing new features we have planned for Summer 2019. If you want to gain exclusive access to our feature reveal webinar series, please register your interest via the form below.
WE’RE HIRING
Estendio is now doubling the size of its team - check out our new roles for Summer 2019!